


Poisoned part 2

by Kelticmoon



Series: Fixit Series compliant fics [9]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Fantastic Racism, Good Lotor (Voltron), Human shield, Krolia has four kids, Lotor's a lost child, M/M, Multi, Poisoning, series appropriate racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 13:25:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18801235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelticmoon/pseuds/Kelticmoon
Summary: While on a diplomatic mission for the Coalition, an assassination attempt lands Keith in med bay.





	Poisoned part 2

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Mother’s Day! This takes place during Act 2 of my Season 8 fixit fic. Also I wanted to scratch two more squares off of my Bad Things Happen Bingo card.
> 
> Bad Things Happen Bingo:  
> Human Shield  
> Fantastic Racism (speciesism)

It started as a meeting between the Coalition and the Papio, a race of aliens Lotor heard Lance and Hunk say resembled something called a baboon.

They needed something for the coming battle with the witch and the Papio were the closest people to Dionysus who have it.

Everything was going well, nothing too out of the ordinary.

Until a few of them recognized him.

Not long after, as they’re about to do a toast, the Papio Leader personally gave Lotor a drink. As soon as the leader turned his back, Keith swiftly took the drink from Lotor’s hand and gave Lotor his without anyone else noticing.

Lotor raised an eyebrow at the Red Paladin but said nothing; trusting the Paladin known for having good instincts had a reason. When he saw Keith pretend to drink it before dumping it into a nearby plant, Lotor caught on.

Poison.

From then on, every time Lotor was given a drink, he discretely handed it off to Keith whenever he could or simply pretended to drink it before dumping it himself. When they sat down to dinner, Keith sat beside Lotor and constant switched out Lotor’s food and drink with his own at which point the food was then given to Kosmo to dispose of (the simple fact that the Space Wolf known for pilfering food refused to eat it only added to their suspicions that the Papio were trying to poison the former Emperor).

Later, the Papio insisted Lotor remain outside a hall they’re taken to for “security purposes”. Lotor was willing to cooperate, but when they tried to force him to stay out there _alone_ , Keith adamantly refused to allow it unless he was allowed to remain outside with Lotor.

That’s how the two of them ended up standing alone outside the hall waiting for the others to return.

“Your dedication to impeding our hosts’ efforts to assassinate me is appreciated."

Keith shrugs without looking at him.

“Eh… don’t mention it. Apparently no one here has discovered my own lineage yet, so hopefully I can keep doing this until we leave.”

“Even if they do become aware of such, we are both mindful of their intentions so evading further efforts should prove untroublesome."

“Besides, I’ve been on the receiving end of anti-Galra hatred myself. Being poisoned sucks, by the way… being kidnapped and almost lynched sucks slightly less…”

Lotor smirks at the joke.

“I would imagine."

“Point is, I’m a Paladin, and I’ve gotten this shit. I can only imagine the kind of ire being Zarkon’s spawn would create.”

“Zarkon’s “spawn” is preferable to “son”,” Lotor comments appreciatively.

The rest of the Coalition’s entourage returns then.

After thwarting three more attempts to poison Lotor, they begin to believe they might be free of assassination attempts as they head back to the Atlas.

Suddenly, there’s movement from the upper right.

Lotor feels himself get yanked bodily to the left right before his back hits the bottom part of a wall. He then hears two whistles and a solid thud followed by the sound of a gun going off.

Lotor looks up and startles a little when he sees Keith standing with his hands planted firmly on the wall above him while gritting his teeth in pain.

Sticking out of his shoulder blade is a single arrow.

Lotor looks beyond Keith and sees Lance with his rifle trained on one of the remaining assassins while the MFE pilot known as Officer Griffin has his own gun trained on the other; its barrel still smoking.

On the ground is the assassin Griffin shot.

Lotor catches Keith as the other hybrid collapses.

“Keith!”

Lance and Griffin remain where they are as Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk rush to Keith’s side to assess the damage and Crown Princess Allura rounds on the Papio leader, demanding an explanation with Merla beside her.

Lotor maneuvers Keith so he can slump against Shiro while Pidge and Hunk examine him.

“Looks like it hit your shoulder blade, so the arrow head didn’t go completely in,” Pidge states.

“Hopefully, it wasn’t poisoned,” Hunk adds.

“Doubtful,” Lotor tells them.

Keith grits his teeth as he rests against Shiro's shoulder.

“They’ve been trying to poison Lotor since we arrived...”

The smallest Paladin looks at Shiro.

“I’ll go see if the assassin that was shot has anything on him that’ll help make an antidote. You guys get him back to Atlas’ med bay so we can start treating him.”

~

Keith’s condition quickly deteriorates not long after they return to the ship.

The arrow is easily removed and his wound is then cleaned and wrapped but the poison is still taking its toll as Coran, Pidge, and her entire family work with Hunk, Tavo, and some of the Alteans to create an antidote.

Keith grits his teeth in pain and whimpers as the poison attacks his body, rendering him completely delirious from the pain.

“It’s reacting a lot like hemlock,” Griffin points out with a frown.

Lotor looks at him.

“Hemlock?”

“It’s a flowering plant on Earth that’s extremely toxic.”

Shiro sits at Keith’s side holding his hand in both of his as he explains.

“Even touching it can cause a bad reaction.”

“What is this poison doing?” Acxa asks.

“It’s attacking his muscles and basically turning every single nerve in his body on, in addition to giving him a raging fever,” Ryou tells her.

“Can we not give him something for the pain?” Romelle asks innocently.

“Yeah, I mean look at him,” Lance insists. “I’ve never seen him crying because he’s in pain before.  And I've seen him get hurt a lot.”

Krolia cards her fingers through her son's hair as she speaks.

“He was like this after he awoke out of his coma after the Robeast Explosion."

“Unfortunately, his mixed genetics is inhibiting our ability to relieve his pain,” Ryou tells them.

Griffin looks at him.

“How?”

“Because of his Galra genetics, the strongest human painkillers are too weak for him. But because of his human genetics; even Galra painkillers meant for children are too strong for him.”

“What about Altean painkillers?” Romelle suggests.

“We would need Coran, Tavo, or the Crown Princess to administer it since I'm not familiar with Altean medicine yet and Coran and Tavo are both helping with the antidote and the Crown Princess is busy scaring the Papio Leader,” Ryou tells her.

Shiro presses his lips to Keith's hand.

“There has to be something…”

“There… is one thing…”

Krolia moves to sit beside her son on the hospital bed.

“It will not stop the pain, but it may sooth him a bit.”

“Whatever it is, do it,” Griffin pleads.

“We’re desperate for anything right now,” Lance adds.

Krolia begins singing to Keith.

_“Look to the stars my darling baby boy...”_

Keith instantly stops whimpering.

_“Life is strange and vast… Filled with wonders and joys...”_

Keith turns into the sound of his mother’s voice and clings to her with his free hand.

_“Face each new sun with eyes clear and true…”_

Krolia strokes his hair.

_“Unafraid of the unknown… Because I’ll face it all with you…”_

She continues to hum the lullaby's tune until the antidote arrives.  When the antidote gets administered; his fever breaks and his body immediately stops hurting. 

Keith instantly falls asleep.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that old lullaby,” Coran comments.

“Mother used to sing it to Bandor when he was a baby,” Romelle adds.

Krolia doesn't look up from Keith as she explains.

“I heard it on a mission once for the Blades many deca-phoebs ago. I used to sing it to Keith when he was a baby. Apparently he subconsciously remembers it as it was the only thing that helped him rest after he awoke from his coma. As Ryou said, the strongest human medication was too weak for him. They eventually had to induce a short coma for a day or two until he healed enough so the pain would stop.”

Lotor looks at her.

“A mere lullaby can do that?”

“It’s more than the lullaby,” Hunk tells him gently. “Sometimes the most soothing thing in the world is the sound of my mom singing to me.”

“Mom used to sing ‘Duermete mi niño’ to me or my brothers whenever we got sick,” Lance adds. “My sisters got ‘A la Nanita Nana’.”

“Not to mention, sometimes a boy just needs his mommy.”

Dr. Holt puts an arm around Shiro.

“No matter how old he is or if he’s adopted.”

Lotor feels like a lost child in that moment as he looks at how Krolia is with Keith and then looks up at the way Shiro’s leaning against his adoptive mother as well as how Hunk and Lance are smiling while lost in their thoughts.

The others soon drift away, leaving Krolia, Shiro, and Lotor with Ryou and Dr. Holt.

“Takashi, you should go eat something,” Dr. Holt tells Shiro gently.

“I don’t know…”

“No offense Dr. Holt, but this tends to work much better.”

Ryou grabs Shiro by the collar of his uniform jacket and hauls him up out of the chair.

“Hey!”

“Let’s go, Takashi! Now that Keith isn’t dying anymore you need to eat something.”

Ryou practically drags Shiro toward the door to medbay.

“Go on,” Krolia insists. “I’ll sit with him.”

Dr. Holt follows them, leaving Lotor with Krolia.

Lotor sits beside Krolia.

“Might I ask a question of you?”

“Ask.”

Lotor hesitates.

“It is... not my intent to insult when I ask…”

Lotor tries to choose his words carefully.

“However it is my understanding that Keith grew up without you?”

“That is true. He did.”

“Did he… resent you at all for it?”

“I would not call it resentment. More like mistrust.”

“Even though your intentions were to protect him?”

“My intentions are irrelevant. My leaving still hurt him in a way no amount of explaining can erase, nor can it erase all the years he spent alone.”

“Did you feel it was... ungrateful?” Lotor asks in non-accusingly.

Krolia stays patient.

“I did not. His feelings about my leaving were as valid as my intentions were, if not more so. He had grown into a young man all while under the belief I had left because I did not love him. I had to earn that trust back. Such takes time and patience.”

Lotor looks at him then.

“I envy him."

Krolia looks at Lotor without judgement.

"You resent your mother for what she's done?"

"The witch is **not** my mother," Lotor states firmly. "Honerva died 10,000 years ago. The witch resorted to brainwashing and gifts in an attempt to buy my love, and then the moment her life was threatened used me to allow her to escape.  Then she had the audacity to accuse me of being ungrateful before attempting to kill me. The witch may look like my mother and talk like my mother. She may even have my mother's memories, but she will never be my mother."

Krolia looks at Lotor contemplatively.

"You are aware Romelle is not my biological daughter, yes?"

"I knew her birth parents so yes I am aw..."

Lotor trails off when he realizes the intent of her question.  

He looks at Krolia.

Krolia smiles warmly at him before opening her arm to him.

Lotor hesitates before leaning into her shoulder, after which she folds her arm around him in a warm embrace.

**Author's Note:**

> Krolia’s lullaby is based on the Duck Tales moon theme which recently got lyrics in an episode that gave me serious Krolia-Keith mommy-son feels. 
> 
> I like to think Krolia unofficially officially adopted Romelle as her daughter the same way Keith adopted her as a little sister.
> 
> Even without my fixit fic, Honerva's entire mindset is nuts. Going on the way Honerva reacts to when YoungAU!Lotor rejects her, Honerva seems to like the idea of being a mother over the actual practice of being a mother. Being a mother takes hardwork, love, and compassion; I know because I am one. It’s the reason I draw so many parallels between Honerva and Krolia in this. Both were absent from their sons’ lives (albeit for different reasons). Unlike Honerva who treats Lotor like he should be grateful for everything she did, regardless of the outcome or how Lotor felt about it, Krolia fully acknowledges and accepts that even though she left Keith to protect him, her leaving still hurt Keith in a way no amount of explaining can erase. She doesn't ignore it, she doesn't treat Keith like he should be grateful for her leaving him, she accepts it and does the work to fix the damage. THAT is what a mother does. Honerva refuses to acknowledge that her own hubris lead to her son refusing to accept her after her presumed death.
> 
> If you like this fic, feel free to read my season 8 fixit fic


End file.
